


Chosen

by rainwaterheart



Series: miraculous [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chosen, First Meeting, Gen, Hai, Plagg explains some stuff, adrien is confused, adrien luckily doesn't fluster as easily as marinette, but what else is new, kwami - Freeform, marinette wants to sleep, scotland is mentioned briefly, unseen: marinette definitely oversleeps the next morning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainwaterheart/pseuds/rainwaterheart
Summary: hello! I'm just gonna pop back in after like two years of radio silence oof. this is also, coincidentally, the first thing I've written in that same two year period. whoops.so this is intended to be the first part of a whole series of stories (if you'll notice, it's been place in a series haha). we'll see how well I can commit to it though, considering I don't have the best track record (again, whoops)
Series: miraculous [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741375
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	1. the ladybug

**Author's Note:**

> hello! I'm just gonna pop back in after like two years of radio silence oof. this is also, coincidentally, the first thing I've written in that same two year period. whoops.
> 
> so this is intended to be the first part of a whole series of stories (if you'll notice, it's been place in a series haha). we'll see how well I can commit to it though, considering I don't have the best track record (again, whoops)

She wasn’t entirely certain how long she spent staring at the little black box on her desk. It couldn’t have been longer than ten minutes since it’d been opened, releasing some kind of… _thing_ out into her room – until she’d slammed the box shut once more, that is. It wasn’t clear how that worked, since the _thing_ hadn’t even been in the box at the time, but it had apparently done the trick because it wasn’t flying about anymore, rambling about – about butterflies and monsters?

“Honestly,” she muttered, running her fingers through her bangs. “What the hell.”

A glance at her clock had her groaning. It was past midnight, so there went her hopes of being energetic in the morning. She hesitated before rushing to get ready for bed though. Could she _really_ trust that the _thing_ was gone? What if it was just hiding, waiting to do… something? What did it even want – and _how_ had it and its box wound up in her bag in the first place? There was no way to get any answers. Unless…

“Well, I’m already probably going to wake up late tomorrow anyways.” She picked up the box carefully, making sure not to jostle it with the movement. With a resigned sigh, she flipped the lid open once more. Sure enough, the _thing_ was back; and, this time, it was scowling up at her.

“That was rude.” It said, flittering up and out of the box. This time it didn’t go very far, though. “I was _talking_ to you.”

Marinette frowned at it. “What even are you? Sorry if that’s _rude_ , but it’s not every day that some polka-dotted creature invades my room.” The little creature stared at her for a few more moments before huffing and rolling its eyes.

“I guess that’s true. But still, if you hadn’t shut me in, I probably would’ve been able to _explain_ by now.” The creature apparently felt a little safer since Marinette had actually spoken this time, so it settled on the table next to the box. “And, technically, I’m a Kwami. So I’d prefer that to ‘polka-dotted creature’. My _name_ is Tikki.”

“Tikki.” Marinette said, scanning it skeptically. “Tikki the Kwami?”

The creature – _Kwami –_ smiled and nodded. “Yes. That would be me. Technically I’m _your_ Kwami to be more specific.”

“I don’t remember claiming a Kwami.”

This was apparently funny, because Tikki giggled. “No, silly. You didn’t claim me. _I_ claimed _you_. Well, chose you, that is. You’re my Chosen.”

“Oh, yes. That makes sense, totally explains everything. How did I not guess that?”

The Kwami decided to ignore her Chosen’s sarcasm; after all, it _was_ a lot to take in. Instead, it looked around the room, taking in the surroundings. After glancing around for a few moments, she frowned. “What time is it?”

“Um, it’s past midnight. Which brings me to another thing, I _should_ be asleep, but because of _you_ —”

“No, no, no. Not time, _time._ As in time period.” When the girl continued frowning at Tikki the Kwami sighed. “I _mean_ , what year and day is it? Because while some of this is kind of familiar, I can tell it’s been a while.”

When Marinette answered, Tikki perked up. “Oh. _Oh_ it _has_ been a long time, wow. Nearly a century, at least.”

“Woah, wait. _Hold on_ a minute.” The Kwami turned its big eyes over to the raven-haired girl expectantly. “Are you telling me that you’re, what, a hundred years old? And you just… expect me to believe that?”

“No, of course I’m not a hundred years old.” Tikki scoffed, affronted. “Why, I’m _far_ older than that! I’ve been around since before you humans even came to be; but if you’re asking about my _physical_ being, then – well, I would say around… hmm… the first one would’ve been Hai, so that was about… hmm 5,000 years ago? So sometime before then. Final answer is a little over 5,000.”

Marinette raised a single eyebrow. “Okay. So, you expect me to believe that you’re thousands of years old. And what’s Hai?”

“Not _what_ ,” the Kwami frowned at Marinette for a moment, as though deciding how much she should say. “Hai wasn’t a _what_ , she was a _who_. And she was my _first_ Chosen, all those years ago.”

Something about the emotions that rolled off of Tikki in waves – the way she wouldn’t quite meet her eye, the way she seemed to have hunched in on herself a bit – made Marinette hesitate. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, I just… this is all confusing.”

“I know that. I’m sorry too; earlier – when you first opened the box – I got a little excited, I guess. I should’ve gone a bit slower, been more careful not to overwhelm you. Because it _is_ overwhelming, I understand that.” There was a moment of quiet as both parties looked at each other, uncertain. “How about this – you said earlier something about needing to be asleep. Go to sleep and do whatever it is you need to; we can talk tomorrow. I’ve waited a century; I can wait another night. You can even close the box – I won’t be able to leave it while it’s closed.”

The Kwami smiled up at her Chosen and Marinette saw what she was being offered. Trust. Tikki had no guarantee that Marinette would actually open the box again. As Tikki made her way back to the box, Marinette made her decision. If the Kwami was willing to put trust in her… she could put trust in the Kwami. At least a little bit. “No, um. I mean, I _do_ need to get to sleep soon and we _can_ talk tomorrow, but… if you want, you don’t have to stay in the box? You could, I don’t know, hang out while I sleep. Do Kwamis sleep or would you just be sitting here all night?”

Tikki was grinning now, so widely that it took up most of her small face. “Kwamis do sleep. If you’d be comfortable with that, then I could find somewhere comfy to stay for the night? Or you could show me, if you’d prefer me in a certain spot.”

Marinette shook her head, offering the Kwami a small smile of her own. “I don’t have any Kwami-specific spots, so just… anywhere that looks comfy is available for you. Just, um, stay in this room. It’d rather _not_ have to explain to my parents what you are or why you’re here – partially because I haven’t quite gotten the full explanation myself.”

It was a strange feeling, to go through the motions of something so typical as a nighttime routine immediately following such an unusual encounter, with the knowledge that a _Kwami_ , who was apparently thousands of years old, was just sitting in her room. Despite this, Marinette couldn’t find it within herself to be uncomfortable; something about Tikki, after the initial reaction and freakout, was… nice. Comfortable. Unable to stop herself, she thinks back to what the Kwami had called her – a Chosen. _Her_ Chosen, specifically.

There wasn’t time to think too deeply about it as the clock ticked closer to one a.m. She had school tomorrow to worry about, and _then_ she deal with this Kwami issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, Hai is the name I decided to give the very first Ladybug - Piáo Chóng. She's canonically the earliest Ladybug that the show has revealed, so I'm going to say that she's the first ever. which led me to the conclusion that the Miraculouses probably weren't created much earlier than that, since they were presumably made to be used.
> 
> all we know about the first Ladybug is that she was alive 5,000 years ish before the series, that her alias was Piáo Chóng, and that she was Chinese. so, I just looked up Chinese names and picked Hai (it means coming from the sea but I don't know if that'll end up being important or not). I wanted to give her a name because I didn't think Tikki would just call her Piáo Chóng all the time, since she would've definitely known her well.
> 
> so, I'm intending to have a second chapter for this part of the series that details the meeting of Adrien and Plagg. but we'll see if I come through on that lol


	2. the cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien meets Plagg. also Plagg explains some stuff (but not everything whoops don't wanna confuse the poor boy - but he already is so oh well)

Adrien wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it. The black box had, at most, been a source of curiosity for him. Maybe one of his father’s roundabout ways of apologizing?

These thoughts were cut off, however, by the appearance of the little being. It was black with green eyes – green _judging_ eyes, at that. The little being was scanning the surroundings, as though he were an interior design critic. “Hm.” It finally said, bringing its eyes back to Adrien after a long few seconds of examination. “Not bad, I suppose. Where exactly is this place?”

Now, Adrien wasn’t exactly the most _knowledgeable_ about social interaction, seeing as he was mostly surrounded by his father and others within the modeling industry. Even Chloe, as much of a relief as it was to talk to her, probably wasn’t a good reference for the average person. So, while he’d never _heard_ of any little beings, it wasn’t like he knew enough to think them strange. “Um, this is my room.”

“Yes, but _where_ is it? The last time I was awake I was in Scotland but judging from your accent either things have changed or I’m somewhere else now. So _where_ are we right now?”

“Oh! Well, we’re in France if you’re talking country. Paris, to be specific.”

Whatever Adrien had been expecting in response, it had _not_ been a groan. “Oh, Tikki is going to be _insufferable_ when we run into each other. It just _had_ to be the city of love, didn’t it?” Before he had a chance to decide how to respond, the being moved on. “Ah well, that’ll probably be a while, so I won’t think about it too much until then. Do you have any cheese?”

“Cheese? I think so, probably in the kitchens…? Why?”

The being huffed. “Well, you’re going to want to keep it in stock. It’s the only thing I’ll eat; in fact, the older the better.”

Maybe this is why no one talks about the little beings; maybe they’re really demanding so people avoid them? Either way, Adrien had a feeling that he couldn’t exactly just ask it to leave so he sighed. “Do you want cheese right now? Or…?”

The being thought for a minute before shaking its head with a resigned sigh. “No, I should probably at least introduce myself before I turn you into a servant. My name is Plagg and I’m your Kwami.”

Adrien didn’t miss the usage of the word ‘your.’ “Wait, so my father really _did_ arrange this? But why would he get me a Kwami – not that I’m complaining! It’s just… different from what he normally does.”

“Kid. Whatever you do, you _do not_ tell your father about me – or anyone. And _no_ , of _course_ your father didn’t arrange this; I chose you. It’s that simple.”

“You chose me. What does that mean?”

The Kwami sighed again. “Alright, well. The short version is that something’s coming. Something big, something your little police won’t be able to hold a candle to. _So_ , I chose you. I’m a Kwami. That ring in the box – the one you’ve been ignoring – is called a Miraculous. You’re meant to wear it.”

“You chose me…” Adrien looked over at the ring. “To be a police officer?”

“No! To be a _hero_ , kid. With my help, of course. See, that ring is what connects us. As long as you wear it, I’ll always be with you. I’m a magical being, so I can extend my powers to you for periods of time as needed.” Plagg looked at him for a moment before continuing. “Once you put it on, though, you should plan to wear it at all times. And, whatever happens, it should _never_ end up in anyone else’s hands.”

Adrien stared. “So, you’re telling me that this ring is going to – what, give me superpowers?”

Plagg laughed. “No, of course not. _I’ll_ give you powers. The ring is just a conduit that connects us. It’s important, but without me it’d just be a ring. _Think_ about it, kid. This isn’t something that you’ll just do for a couple days and then move on. That’s not why I chose you.”

“How does it work?”

The Kwami grinned. “Well, you’ll wear a mask. Don’t worry about it, that’ll be provided. You’ll call out for me to transform you – and I will, so long as I have the energy to. You can pick a name if you want, most of them do. There are some physical enhancements – specifically, you’ll be faster and able to take more damage than out of costume. But the most exciting part is the actual power. I’m the Kwami of destruction, so that’s what I provide. It’s called ‘Cataclysm.’ You’ll call out for it when you need it, and it’ll grant you one shot at complete destruction. You can only use it on _one_ object at a time and it’ll drain me considerably; at that point you’ll have roughly five minutes left before I’ll have to rest.”

Adrien frowned, looking at the Kwami. “I don’t understand. Why me? I don’t _think_ I’m a destructive person, so… why me?”

“Why _not_ you? That’s why I picked you. This power… it doesn’t _belong_ to destructive people. Think about it for a minute. Why would I offer this to someone who would only abuse it?” The Kwami, for the first time since the box had been opened, was speaking seriously. “This power in the wrong hands… could be devastating. It’s all about balance. So yes, I chose _you_. That’s why you need to think about it. I mean, we don’t have unlimited time, because – like I said – something is coming. But you also shouldn’t commit lightly.”

“I don’t understand, though. Wouldn’t you just be able to… I don’t know, _un_ -choose me or whatever? If you chose me to begin with? I’d like to think I wouldn’t go crazy with power but – well, you just never know.”

“That isn’t how it works, kid. In choosing you, I’ve opened up the chance for a bond. The minute you accept that ring, you accept the bond. Once bonded, I’m, for lack of better words, stuck with you. Unless _you_ decide to end the partnership. I have great power, don’t get me wrong, but Kwamis are limited in range. We can only really affect the world through partnerships, like the one I’m offering you. We can initiate the partnership, but you can end it. Again, _balance_. It’s a part of the deal.” Noticing the boy’s uncertainty, Plagg sighed. “I’m not trying to scare you, kid. I’m just trying to _warn_ you. If it helps, you won’t be alone. I mean, you’ll have _me_ , obviously, but you’ll also have a partner. Another Chosen to help you. It’s part of that balance thing; we try not to only have one active Miraculous in order to have a failsafe should something go wrong.

“But – should you accept –you’ll find that, not only do you serve the Miraculous, it’ll serve you. Freedom. That’s what you want, right? I can help grant you that. Not fully, of course; I won’t just whoosh you away, but you’ll find that a mask can be _very_ freeing when you need it to be. Think about it for a bit, just don’t take too long.”

Adrien wasn’t looking at the Kwami, so he wasn’t able to see where he went after that. Presumably somewhere still in the area, but close enough to be called for? After a few moments of searching he noticed the time – eleven o’clock. If he wanted to be up early enough to try again to go to school, he needed to go to bed. “Okay,” he said to the empty room, hoping that Plag was indeed within listening range. “I’ll think about it.” Because as much as he _wanted_ to – and he _definitely_ wanted to – Plagg’s words rang in his head, bouncing around the harder he thought about it. Could he be strong enough to balance out the destruction?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the info-dump, but Adrien is definitely more likely to listen to what Plagg has to say - and also I didn't want both Plagg AND Tikki to have ginormous explanation paragraphs, so I decided who'd be more likely to listen and who'd be more likely to just be overwhelmed haha
> 
> Adrien's characterization - so, I head canon him as very smart, since y'know tutors and such. but, he doesn't actually interact with a lot of people, so I don't think he'd know very much socially. and his street smarts would be pretty undeveloped. I don't mean to imply that he believes in magic; moreso, he's never really thought about it or had it confirmed/denied, so he's not quite as flustered by the appearance of a tiny talking magic thing as Marinette was haha
> 
> and he's definitely going to jump at this chance, but at the same time Plagg said a lot of stuff that made him think
> 
> so for the Scotland thing that Plagg mentioned, there are only two known miraculous holders before Adrien. considering that there are tons more known ladybugs, I decided that was kinda dumb (and its probably just because the show leans more towards Marinette's story than Adriens, so there are probably a roughly similar number in reality)
> 
> either way, the one right before Adrien is completely a thing I made. his name is Briano Auenel and he lived in the 1400s in Scotland - right at the end of the Middle Ages. I got his name from a list of 1400s Scottish names. his alias would be Sidhe, after a Scottish folktale about a fairy cat that resembles a black cat.
> 
> so, here's another first meeting between Kwami and Chosen. I also used this one as an opportunity to expand a bit on the lore of the Miraculous - or at least, my version of it. so here you go. I'll hopefully expand on it more in future installments for the series
> 
> as it is, this marks the Chosen installment complete. any future holders will meet their Kwamis in a different installment due to chronology :)


End file.
